BU star jailed on battery count

Ruffin suspended from team indefinitely after arrest for allegedly choking woman

Greg Stewart and Erinn Deshinsky

BY GREG STEWART AND ERINN DESHINSKY

OF THE JOURNAL STAR

PEORIA — The playing future of Bradley University basketball player Daniel Ruffin is in question after his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery Saturday.

Ruffin, 23, was arrested about 5:30 a.m. Saturday after an early morning incident at his on-campus apartment at 908 N. Frink St., in which he allegedly choked a 20-year-old female Bradley student.

Ruffin, a Peoria High School graduate and now fifth-year senior captain and point guard of the Braves and team leading scorer, is suspended from the team indefinitely pending further investigation of the altercation. He remained in Peoria County Jail during Bradley's home game Saturday night.

'Indefinite means indefinite,' Bradley Athletics Director Ken Kavanagh said. 'Right now we're still in the fact-finding stage and, depending on what we find, we'll determine if Daniel is out for the rest of the season, comes back (to play) Tuesday night or somewhere in between. Right now, we just don't know.'

Hospital staff members at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center contacted police about 2:30 a.m. after Alisha R. White, who also lives oncampus but in a separate residence from Ruffin, went to the hospital with visible injuries to her neck, she told the Journal Star.

Police then went to Ruffin's residence and, after questioning, placed

him under arrest and took him to the jail. He was expected to remain there overnight Saturday until a Peoria County assistant state's attorney could review his case to determine if he could be released on a notice to appear in court.

When contacted by phone, White said she 'voluntarily' went to the hospital, where she was treated and released. She declined further comment but did say she was choked during the incident, which occurred about 1 a.m.

Further details of the incident were unavailable from Peoria police, who referred inquiries to the university.

The university released a short announcement regarding the arrest Saturday morning. Regarding that quickly released response, university President Joanne Glasser said, 'Hopefully it's indicative that we take very seriously our role in promoting our student athletes as role models.'

Glasser, who spoke to the Journal Star during halftime Saturday night at Carver Arena as Bradley hosted Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said she couldn't comment on Ruffin's team-suspension punishment because, 'We don't have all the facts yet.'

Ruffin's father, Peoria High boys basketball coach Dan Ruffin Sr., had no comment when contacted by the Journal Star.

Chuck Buescher, who coached Ruffin at Peoria High and at Bradley, learned of the incident Saturday afternoon.

'I think the world of Danny,' Buescher said. 'We'll just wait and see and let it play out. (The team) doesn't need any more setbacks right now.'

Many Bradley students on campus had heard by mid-afternoon about Ruffin's arrest, and several said they were shocked. Freshman Jesse Reynolds said he was surprised to see a 'leader of the team' accused of this type of crime.

'If it's true, it sets a bad example (for the rest of the team),' Reynolds said, adding he wouldn't rush to judgment. 'You can't base decisions on what you don't know.'

Diamond Tyree was upset to hear of another athlete facing criminal charges.

'Our athletes get away with murder, so why would they stop?' the freshman said. 'All it does is increase the rules for us, while it doesn't even affect the ones doing it. ... It's not really fair. They don't really get punished.'